Author's note: I finally got done with the college semester, and I was finally able to get back to writing on this thing. Unfortunately, this chapter was supposed to be an intermission chapter involving PenPen and Felix, but as I wrote the chapter, I found that I didn't like it and I was growing increasingly less motivated to work on it. Eventually, I decided to scrap it as it was both rather boring and fairly unnecessary. The only scene from it that was of any relevance was the beginning at NERV, which I moved to this chapter. I also was going to detail as to how Adams was going to get revenge on Misato, but that's going to be revealed in this chapter anyway, so I scraped that too. So sorry for the delay and here is the next chapter. Asuka fans should enjoy this one.
Chapter 12 "The Arrival II: Welcome Home Asuka"
NERV HQ
The room was bright. The fluorescent light hummed to their unending and melancholy tune. All seemed well except for one unusual thing. Someone was sleeping. Sure, the idea of someone sleeping on the job would certainly be cause for alarm. After all, no one is paid to sleep, especially at NERV. However, this was more than just a no good peon who thought they could slip in a quick nap. No, this was Ritsuko!
She laid on her desk, her glasses still mashed against her face. A light amount of drool flowed from her relaxed lips. From the position she was in, it was obvious that she didn't fall asleep on purpose. Sadly for her, her irregular and minute sleep pattern had conquered her. A slight snore echoed from her nose, the only other noise in the room.
This was ended however when the door to the office was opened, and in walked in, of all people, Commander Ikari. He slowly walked up to the woman in slumber, his face slowly changing into a scowl. Upon reaching her, gave a sharp, quick shout. "Dr. Akagi!!"
Ritsuko stirred from her sleep, unsure as to who just yelled at her. She turned her head towards the aggressive voice, and allowed her eyes to focus upon the individual. Upon receiving the visual, she quickly jumped up from her seat, her heart jumping into her throat. "Commander!"
"Why may I ask were you sleeping?" asked Gendo in a low growl.
Ritsuko nervously answered, trying to wipe the crust from her eyes. "I'm…I'm really sorry, Commander. It won't happen again."
Gendo began to encircle the somewhat distresses scientist. "We don't pay you to sleep, Doctor. Considering that you're one of the highest paid members of this organization, it's very costly for you to sleep on the job."
"You're absolutely right, sir. Please forgive me," pleaded Ritsuko.
The Commander turned away from her and gave a small but cool smile. Asserting his power was enjoyable to him, and he knew that everyone in this organization was under his finger tips. It was…rather arousing. He tried to push it to the back of his mind for now. "Are the repairs on Unit 00 complete?"
"Yes…," said Ritsuko.
"Good. We'll begin Rei's finalization training immediately," said Gendo as he turned back to stare at the blond haired woman.
"Yes, sir," said Ritsuko, her face still frowning in shame.
The older Ikari gave a quite sigh. He couldn't deny the sensuality of this moment. He decided to give in. After all, it wouldn't be the first time. He slowly walked behind Ritsuko and moved up close to her. He then quickly grabbed her shoulders, causing Ritsuko to become startled. "You're too much like your mother."
Ritsuko knew what was happening. Whenever he was like this, she knew exactly what was on his mind, and to her own shame, she often enjoyed it. She didn't want to give in, but in the times that they had been together, she knew that she was beginning to develop feelings for the cold, cruel man. She was…conflicted. "What makes you say that?"
Gendo moved his hands up and down her arms. "You're too tense. All the work you do for this organization, it's no wonder why you can't stay awake."
"It's no excuse," said Ritsuko, who was closing her eyes as she felt the hands work their way up and down her arms.
"For all you've done for us, it's highly unlikely that I'd fire you over a little sleep," said the Commander. "Perhaps there's something I could do to relax you."
Ritsuko tried to respond, but she was at a loss for words as she felt the heat his breath on her neck. She let herself get swept up in the moment.
Gendo removed his glasses and turned the woman around. He studied her features for a few moments before moving in to kiss her.
It was then that the door opened, surprising the would-be lovers. They quickly jumped away from each other, trying to mask what almost transpired. The person seen entering the room was Ryoji Kaji. He looked at the two of them, noticing a flustered look on both of them. "Did I miss something?"
"No," said Gendo. "Dr. Akagi and I were discussing what needed to be done with Unit 00. But that can be discussed later. Agent Kaji, I assume."
"Yes, I've come to deliver a certain package," said the special Agent. "I'm sure you're aware of its importance."
"Indeed," said Gendo.
Kaji then turned to Ritsuko. "Dear Ritsuko. It's been a while hasn't it?"
Ritsuko smiled to see her old college friend. "Yes it has. I almost didn't recognize you with you hair being longer and all the stubble."
Kaji chuckled as he rubbed his chin. "You haven't changed much, either. It's certainly nice to see you again. We'll have to catch up sometime."
Ritsuko nodded. "Sure."
Gendo spoke. "We have more important things to discuss. We should head to my office." He then turned back to Ritsuko. "Get back to work." He and Kaji then walked out the door.
"Yes sir," said Ritsuko in a sarcastic voice. Despite her relief that Kaji showed up when he did, she was also somewhat disappointed. She decided to put it in the back of her mind, however, as she went back to work without falling asleep.
Kaji and the Commander were both at Gendo's desk. Kaji placed a brief case on the desk. "This trip was far more exciting than I'd bargained for. I came within mere feet of accidentally being crushed under Unit 02's foot."
"I suppose I should apologize. Unit 02's purpose was to do quite the opposite," said Gendo.
"And it did indeed," said Kaji. "I heard that the 2nd and 3rd child worked together in order to defeat the angel. Quite impressive."
"That was how I planned it," said Gendo. "Anyway, shall I see what's in the brief case?"
"Certainly, it is yours after all," said the agent as he opened it up. Inside was an embryo in cryostasis. "Does it look well to you?"
Gendo nodded. "Yes, it does."
"Good, I'm glad that's over with. This is the key to instrumentality, isn't it?"
"Yes," said Gendo. "But don't worry yourself over it. You've done you job well."
"So what is my next assignment? I hope it's not as dangerous as my last one," said Kaji as he smirked almost jokingly.
"That's debatable," said the Commander as he closed the brief case. "You're going to stay here. I have uses for you and you've already proven yourself."
"Now I see why you said debatable," said Kaji. "Unit 02 should help with defending this place, and I heard that Unit 03 should be finished within two or three weeks. Do you have a pilot for it?"
"No," said Gendo. "The Marduk institute is still looking."
"What a waste it would be if we built an Eva with no pilot," said Ryoji.
"Indeed, but we'll worry about that when the time comes," said Gendo. "Now, here is your next assignment…"
One week later
The aircraft carrier had arrived on schedule. Misato and the gang were waiting impatiently to exit the ship and to get on dry land. The docking procedure took longer than expected, but the trip was finally over. Everyone walked off the ship and followed Misato to her car, since she offered to take everyone home before Asuka would be brought to NERV.
The three stooges walked a little further behind the two females and began complaining about the trip.
"I'm so glad that's over," said Touji. "I swear if I had to spend another day on the same boat as that bitch, I'd go nuts."
"Personally, I think Kensuke's has already gone nuts," said Shinji as he examined his four-eyed friend.
Kensuke had two black eyes and a somewhat puffy nose. "That was the greatest trip ever. All those war ships and planes and the angel battle and I've met the girl of my dreams."
"Yeah….right," said Touji. "Too bad the girl of your dreams has become my nightmare. I hope I never meet her again."
"You're just lucky you don't have to work with her from now on," said Shinji.
"I envy you," said Kensuke with tears in his eyes.
"Um….yeah," responded Shinji. "You do realize that Asuka was the one who…did that to you face right?"
"She was just playing around," said Kensuke. "I know for a fact that she wants me."
The subject was dropped when everyone reached the car. Asuka of course called the front seat so the boys had to crowd out the back. Misato turned to face the boys when they were seated. "So where to?"
Touji spoke up first. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to be dropped off at the hospital. I've haven't seen my sister in a week and I want to go check on her."
"Sounds good," said Misato as she started the car.
Asuka turned around to face Touji with some curiosity. "So what happened to your sister?"
"Nothing," said Touji with a small amount of venom.
"What the heck is your problem?" said Asuka in an offended tone. "I was just asking."
"She was hurt in the first angel attack," said Kensuke.
Touji gave his friend an evil eye. "Will you shut up? It's none of her business."
"Calm down!" yelled Misato. "I will not allow fighting in my car."
"Sorry, Misato," said Touji with shame.
Asuka turned her head back with a cocky smile. 'If I had been piloting, that would have never happened.'
Shortly afterwards, they arrived at the hospital and Touji left, waving good bye as the car sped off. The next stop was Kensuke's home. Once they arrived, Kensuke got at and waved goodbye. "Goodbye everyone. Goodbye, Asuka!"
"Yeah sure…bye," said Asuka in an almost disgusted tone.
"Bye, Kensuke," said Misato. "And try not to fall down anymore stairs, okay?"
'I can't believe Misato bought that story,' thought Shinji as the car sped away.
Misato turned to look at the remaining teenagers. "Well, I guess it's just the three of us. I just need to stop at my place real quick before we head to NERV. Okay, Asuka?"
"Okay," said Asuka.
A short while later, the car pulled into the parking lot of Misato and Shinji's home. "You can come in if you want, Asuka. You don't have to wait in the car," said Misato.
"Okay," said Asuka as she exited the car.
Shinji and Misato brought their stuff up with them and entered the apartment. The moment Misato stepped into the kitchen, she dropped her stuff and stared at her refrigerator. "Beer!!!" She then darted straight for it. PenPen ran up to her to greet her but was accidentally kicked aside as Misato bolted up to the fridge. She opened it up and took a can. In one swooping motion, she opened it and put it to her month…only to find that it was empty. Puzzled, she took another can, only to find it empty, too. She took another one and another one, all of them were empty. She began to panic. "What the fuck is going on? Where's all the beer?" She emptied the entire refrigerator, but to no avail. Every can of beer was empty. She examined the bottoms of the can only to find that each one had two holes drilled into them.
"NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!" screamed Misato in despair.
Asuka and Shinji entered the kitchen to find a huge pile of cans all over the floor. Shinji turned towards Asuka with a look of embarrassment on his face. "Um…Welcome to my humble abode."
"What the hell is her problem?" asked Asuka.
Shinji scratched his head. "Well, it's been a week since she's had a beer since they don't serve alcohol on the ship. She's a bit of an alcoholic."
"You don't say," said Asuka as she watched Misato burst into tears. "So what kind of lunatic breaks into somebody's house, empties all of their beer and puts the cans back into the refrigerator and takes nothing else?"
"Beats me," said Shinji.
It was then that Misato noticed a note at the bottom of the pile of cans. She picks it up and reads it.
You should cut down. Signed, a friend
Misato faced turned from sadness into coldness in less than half a second. She slowly stood and crumpled the piece of paper as tight as she could. She slowly and deliberately addressed the teens. "Guys, I want you to stay here. There's something I have to do before I take you to NERV." It was then that she began to march towards the door with fire in her eyes. Before she stepped out, however, the cell phone rang. She picked it up slowly, trying her best to contain her rage. "Hello?"
"Good afternoon, Misato," Said Ritsuko on the other line.
"What's so good about it?" said Misato. "Look, I'm sorry. I'll have Asuka at NERV in a bit. There's something I have to do first."
"That's ok," Said the blond scientist. "This is about Asuka anyway. It turns out that Adams gave the Commander a great recommendation about how well you've done on taking care of Shinji."
Misato raised an eyebrow when hearing this. "Yeah, so?"
"Well, it turns out that the Commander felt that it was best that you took care of Asuka," said Ritsuko.
"What!" screamed Misato. "He's doing this without even asking me? Or Asuka?"
"Afraid so," Said Akagi. "Hope it's not too much of a problem."
It was then that Misato hung up the phone. Her blood was boiling and if she was a little stronger, she'd crush the phone. She then bolted out with a vengeance and sped away in her car, leaving a huge burn out on the parking lot.
"What the hell was her problem?" asked Asuka.
"I think she knows who did this to the beer," answered Shinji.
"Who?" asked the red head.
"Probably Adams," said Shinji.
"Americans," groaned Asuka as she walked to the table to take a seat. She almost tripped over a can, which pisses her off. "Moron! You going to just stand there or are you going to pick up this mess?"
"Ok, ok," said Shinji. "You going to help me or not?"
"Idiot," said Asuka as she tossed a can at his head. "This is your home, not mine. Why should I help you?"
"Never mind," mumbled Shinji as he collect the cans. 'I can't wait until she's gone.'
Something stirred right next to Asuka. She caught it in the corner of her eye. She looked down upon it, noticing that it was a certain penguin.
"…..AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Asuka as she kicked it away.
Shinji stood up to see as to what was going on. He noticed that Asuka had picked up a chair and was about to smash it on top of PenPen.
"Who let this creature in here?" asked Asuka with eyes of menace.
"That's PenPen," said Shinji, who was sweat-dropping at the moment. "He's Misato's pet."
Asuka gave the boy a weird look. "Pet? Who keeps a penguin as a pet?"
"Don't ask," said Shinji as he returned to picking the cans.
PenPen had more than enough abuse for one day, and he quickly retreated back to his refrigerator in the hopes that he'd make it through the day alive.
Misato car came screeching into the driveway of a certain warehouse. Upon stopping, she jumped out of her car and came marching up to the front door. She then banged on the door with all her might and rage. "Hey asshole!!! Open this open this door!!! I know you're in there!!"
Inside, there was the sound of a forklift driving about. The sound came fairly close and then stopped. The door was then unlocked and the door opened slightly, revealing Steve with a psudo-innocent grin. "Yes, can I help you?"
Misato tried to push the door open, but was unable to as the appeared to be something in the way. "God dammit!! Open the door!!"
"I can't,' said Adams. "There's a big crate in the way."
"Then move it!" yelled Misato. "I know you have a forklift!"
"I can't," said Adams. "I'm out of gas."
"You fucking liar!" screamed Misato as she kicked the door. "I just want to say this. Congratulations, you are now one step closer to being my most hated enemy!"
"Only one step?" asked Adams in an almost disappointed tone.
"Give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't call the police?" asked Misato.
"I'll give you two," said Adams. "One, you can't prove that was me. Two, I only did it to help you. You drink way too much."
"Is that so?" asked Misato. "I suppose then that you were thinking of me when you saw to it that I took custody of Asuka, without my approval!"
"Yeah well," said the American as he back up a little. "I thought about how you biological clock was ticking and…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Misato had lunged forward and had reached her arm in to grab Steve. He had backed away just in time to avoid it however. "You fucking shithead! Come closer so I can rip your head off!!"
"Nah, I won't be doing that." said Adams. "What's wrong? Are you saying that you wouldn't take care of her if you had to?"
Misato stopped trying to grab him and turned away in anger. "It's not like I would have said no if I was given the choice. I but I wasn't. And for that matter, neither was Asuka."
"Well ain't life a bitch?" said Adams sarcastically.
Misato turned back to face him. "Listen here. From now on at work, don't talk to me. In fact, don't even look at me. If you do, I'll make your life a living hell. Got it!!"
"Can do." said Steve. "Bye now! Have a great day!"
"Fuck you!" yelled Misato as she began to walk away.
Before she left Adams said one last thing. "Oh yeah! I think it would be a good idea to lock your doors from now on, ok?"
Misato screamed in rage kicked his door one last time before she stormed off.
Back at the apartment, Asuka was rummaging through the cabinets, looking for something to eat. Frowning in frustration, she quickly let Shinji know her displeasure.
"Dammit!! There's nothing but snack foods and instant meals around here. Who the hell could live off of that?"
"Don't complain to me," said Shinji. "Misato's the one who does the shopping."
After sighing in annoyance, the German red-head gave-up her search for something to eat and instead marched herself to the living room to try and relax. "I'm so glad I don't live here."
"That makes two of us," mumbled Shinji as he finished cleaning up the mess in the kitchen.
"What was that?" screamed Asuka, who somehow managed to hear Shinji in the other room.
"Nothing," replied Shinji while making a mental note about her excellent hearing.
It was then that the front door was heard opening and Misato was seen entering the house with two cases of beer. "Shinji could you do me a favor? Can you grab the rest of the beer in the car?"
Shinji grunted in an annoyed fashion. "Yes, ma'am…"
After putting her beer down and grabbing one for herself, she called out to Asuka in order to explain as to what was going to happen. "Asuka!! Can you come here please?"
Asuka entered the kitchen, putting on her best bull-shit smile. "Yes Misato. Do you need me for something?"
Misato sat down at the table, feeling somewhat anxious. "Take a seat Asuka."
After bother were seated, Misato delivered the "Good" news. "Asuka…You're going to live with us."
Asuka's expression was frozen for a half second as she look tried to discern if the purple-haired woman was serious. Her eyes then widened, her heart jumped into her throat, and a load piercing sound came out from her mouth. "WHAT?!!!"
Misato began to explain. "Thanks to a certain somebody who shall remain nameless, the higher ups in NERV thought it might be best for you to live with me."
Asuka's voice sounded weak as if it was struggling to let out the words. "Y…you mean with you and…S…Shinji?"
Misato nodded. "Yep."
"But…,"said Asuka. "Shinji is a b…b…"
"A boy?" asked Misato. "Don't worry about him. For all intensive purposes, he practically asexual."
By now, Shinji had entered the room, holding four cases of beer…barely. "What?"
Misato turned to Shinji with a nervous smile. "Um…Shinji? Meet you're new roommate."
The revelation of think took Shinji by surprise, causing him to drop all of the beer. Misato screamed when she saw the beer hit the ground. She lunged forward and tried her best to examine the cases to see to it that they were all right. She was practically crying when she saw that several cans were dented. One was punctured, causing a lot of beer to fizz out.
Shinji was upset about something else. "Sh…She's living with us? But why?"
Misato was trying to suck the fizz that was coming out of the can. After she sucked out a good portion of it, she answered his question. "The higher ups at NERV thought it was a good idea. And I have a certain somebody to thank for influencing them."
Asuka, who was still trying to comprehend the situation, was staring at both Misato and Shinji. She then looked at PenPen, who was now staring at her. She gave him the evil eyes in response. "What are you looking at?"
Misato picked up the remaining cans of beer and put them in the fridge. "Don't be so upset, Asuka. I'll speak with the Commander tomorrow. I'm sure this will only be temporary."
Asuka sighed depressingly. "Okay…"
Misato closed the refrigerator and went to grab her things. "Let me take you to NERV so we can take care of procedures. Don't worry about a thing."
Asuka nodded and left with Misato to go to NERV. Shinji sat on the couch with a sulky mood. "This sucks. As if things around here weren't bad enough." His thoughts did wonder slightly, however, and she soon began to realize that there were other complications to deal with. "Um…Where is she going to sleep? This is only a two bed-room apartment."
The answer to his question would come later that evening.
"I'm not sleeping on the couch!" yelled Asuka.
"Why not?" asked Shinji.
"Because it's bad enough that I have to stay here at all," pouted Asuka. "It's not fair that I was forced to live here."
"That's not my problem," said Shinji as he began to head towards his room. "One night on the couch won't kill you."
Asuka grabbed the boy by the collar, spun him around and gave him her most menacing glare. "I said I'm not sleeping on the couch. GOT IT!!"
Shinji defiance quickly turned to cowardice. "But…but…where are you going to sleep then?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Asked Asuka in a sarcastic tone. "I'm sleeping on you bed."
Shinji's eyed widened. "But where am I going to sleep?"
Asuka slapped herself in the forehead. "Can you be any stupider? You're getting the couch!"
But that's not fair," said Shinji.
Suddenly, the door to Misato's room opened up, revealing Misato who was somewhat concerned. "What's going on? Are you two fighting?"
Asuka transformed into her bullshit good girl mode once again. "Shinji's being mean. He making me sleep on the couch."
Shinji tried to interrupt. "But…but…it's…"
Misato looked at the two of them and made a decision. "Shinji, let Asuka sleep in your room. It's not fair that she doesn't have a place to sleep."
"What?" yelled Shinji.
"Relax," said Misato. "One night on the couch won't kill you. We'll figure out some arrangements tomorrow, ok?"
Asuka smiled and nodded. "Thank you Misato." She then walked away, making sure to give Shinji a snooty look as she entered his room.
Shinji was forced to sleep on the couch, which wasn't half as comfortable as his bed. He continued to brood over the idea of leaving with the Red-head. 'This sucks. I can't believe I have to sleep on the couch. Misato keeps treating her better than me just because she heard a bunch of rumors about how she's so great. Well, I was in the Eva with her and I wasn't that impressed.' His thoughts soon ended though as he finally managed to fall asleep.
Misato was standing in front of both the Commander and Sub-commander the next morning. She looked slightly nervous, obviously not wanting to say of do anything to piss off the Commander, especially since she was requesting to have the Second Child out of her custody, which was the Commander's idea in the first place.
The Commander took in what was just said. "So what you're telling me, Miss Katsuragi, that the Second Child is not pleased with her current arrangements and that she wishes to move out immediately, correct?"
"Yes, sir," responded the Director of Operations.
"What are you feeling about this, captain?" asked Gendo.
Misato swallowed hard before continuing. "Well, I feel that since Shinji was given a choice in where he would stay that…"
"That you feel that the Second Child should be given the same courtesy, correct?" interrupted Gendo.
"Yes, sir," said Misato.
Gendo's eyes wandered towards his Sub-commander, who was looking sheepish. He then looked toward Misato again. "Let me remind you of two things. First, the whole incident involving the Third Child was not my idea but Fuyutsuki's. Second, it was both an unnecessary and costly procedure. If I had been here during that time period, I would have never approved of it. If the Second Child has a problem with her arrangements, that is her problem, not mine. Don't bother me on such trivial issues again! Understood?"
Misato flinched under the searing gaze of her superior. Knowing that the whole ordeal was not going well, she decided to back out while she still had a chance. "Yes, sir. I have nothing else to report."
"Good. You are excused," said Gendo.
Misato left the office, now more pissed off than ever. 'Damn that Adams and the Commander! God forbid that they think of anyone but themselves. Asuka won't be too happy about this.'
Elsewhere in NERV, Both Shinji and Asuka were standing in the command bay in their plug suits. They were with Ritsuko and the Bridge Bunnies watching over Rei final combat tests.
Shinji was the first to say something. "So, Ritsuko, how come you're conducting the weapons combat tests, today?"
Ritsuko turn towards Shinji with a look of annoyance. "Because Adams is late for work. I have other things I need to do besides conduct these tests."
"Oh," replied Shinji.
Rei was doing fairly well. He was nearing the end of the combat test, using the G2-EX to take out targets from afar. The test was finally completed, with the computer displaying the final scores.
"Rei," said Ritsuko. "You final scares are as follows. You're accuracy with the computer was 91 percent, 61 percent without the computer, and the knife test came out with an 80 percent. All scores are passing. Good job Rei."
"Yes, ma'am," said Rei.
"Wow," said Shinji. "She did better than me on aiming without the computer."
'I'm not so impressed,' thought Asuka. 'Wait till they see my test scores.'
Adams was running as fast as he could to reach the command bay since, as mentioned earlier, he was late.
Son of a bitch! yelled Adams. I picked the worst evening to go out drinking! And then I got pulled over on my way here! Damn officer wouldn't believe that I worked for NERV!
Just as he was about to reach the next bend, a purple haired woman walked out of no where, obviously in a bad mood. The American saw her coming and stopped in time. "Uh…hi…"
Misato took a good look at the Weapons Developer and her mood became fouler. "I see that your late."
Steve tried his best to be as friendly as can be. "Yeah…heh…It's a long story. I wouldn't want to keep you. You're really busy and all."
The Director of Operations narrowed her eyes. "Listen you little shit face. If it weren't for the fact that security keeps tight tabs on this place, I'd rip your sorry head off."
"So what you telling me is…," said Adams. "…that you're in a slightly better mood today then yesterday."
"Don't you fucking mock me!" yelled Misato. "You're lucky I don't write you up! Whatever you do, don't piss me off any more than you have, or you'll have hell to pay!"
With that, she stormed off to god know where. Adams gave a sigh of relief. 'Whew. For a moment, I thought she was going to have my ass. I better get going before things get worse.'
Shortly afterwards, Adams reached the command bay. By now, Asuka was already inside Unit 02 and the combat test was about to start. Ritsuko turned to Steve with a scowl. "Why are you late, Captain?"
Adams hung his head in embarrassment. "Sorry, no excuse."
Ritsuko decided to march off to do other things. "I'm leaving this in your hands. Asuka still needs to take her final combat test. Don't do anything else to piss me off."
"Yes, ma'am," said Adams. 'Man, I've gotten my ear chewed twice in one day. It's just not my day.'
Adams then looked over the test score for Rei just to get in on the up and up. He then began to talk to Asuka. "Good morning. As you obviously know, you'll be taking you combat test today. Are you already familiar with the G2-EX and the Prog. Knife?"
'Idiot! Of course I am,' thought Asuka as she hid her annoyance and displayed her goody-goody mood as not to let the Bridge-bunnies know about her real nature. "Yes, sir!"
"Okay. Let's begin," said Steven as he started the test.
The test was exactly the same as the previous test given to Shinji and Rei. It involved targeting with and without the computer and techniques involving the Prog. Knife. Asuka performed these test superbly, moving around in the Eva as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She even experience some periods of complacency as the test was hardly a test of her skills. Soon afterwards, she was done and the score was tabulated.
"Um…uh…," said Adams, who was obviously speechless.
"So, how'd I do?" asked the red-head.
"Great…," said Adams. "Your scores are as follows. You scored 100 on accuracy with the computer and 94 without. You knife test came out with a 96."
"WHAT!" yelled Shinji.
Asuka tried her best to be modest. "Oh it must have been a fluke. I mean, can anyone be that good?"
'Oh please,' thought Shinji. 'Not with that bull-shit mode again. I just know that she gonna rub this in my face later.'
"Well…," said Adams as he was still trying to comprehend the scores. "You're free to go, I guess. Um…good job."
"So what'd you think of my scores, huh?"
Shinji and Asuka were walking down the hall. They were no longer in their plug suits and they were heading out the door.
"Yeah, yeah they were great,' said Shinji half-heartedly.
Asuka didn't like his tone. "You're just jealous that you can't do as well as me."
"Maybe I am jealous," said Shinji. "Of course if I had years of practice, I'd be that good, too."
"Ha, you could have decades of practice and never be as good as me," retorted Asuka.
"Whatever," said Shinji not wanting to start an argument with her.
Soon afterwards, Rei was seen walking around the corner, heading towards them. Asuka took this opportunity to introduce herself to her. "Hi, I'm Asuka Langley Sohryu. You Rei Ayanami, right? Nice to meet you."
"Yes, nice to meet you," responded Rei. She then looked at Shinji. "Hello Shinji. How are you? Was your trip in Hawaii pleasant?"
Shinji seemed slightly surprised by the fact that Rei spoke to him. "Uh…good I guess. I had fun."
"Good," said Rei as she then continued on her way. "See you later."
Asuka spoke to Rei again. "Did you hear about my test score?"
Rei only nodded in reply before she began to walk off.
Asuka was offended by her behavior. "Hey, what's with you just walking away? Do you think it's rude to give people the cold shoulder?"
Rei turned her head back to look at the German Red-head. "What else was there to say? We have been introduced, and I confirmed that I know off your test scores."
Asuka didn't care for the blue haired girl's frankness. "I get it. You're jealous of me, too. Well, fine. Be that way. You can go fuck yourself!"
Rei did not respond as she walked off, leaving Asuka in a huff. "Grrrr! I think I'm starting to hate everyone around here!"
"I suppose that should include me, huh?"
Asuka and Shinji turned to see Adams with an apologetic look on his face. "Yeah, I sorta am the one responsible for your new living arrangements. I'm sorry. It was just an attempt to get back at Misato."
Asuka's face was blank, as if she was holding back her emotions. "Is that so?" She then slowly and deliberately walked up to the American. Then, like lightening, she gave a swift kick into the man's shin."
"AAAHHH!" screamed Adams afterwards. He grabbed his leg in pain.
"ASSHOLE!" yelled Asuka. "You ruined everything. If it weren't for you, I could have lived with Kaji!"
'Yeah right,' thought the Weapons Developer.
Asuka continues with her tantrum, spitting out curses in German. (God I hate Americans!! Stupid pieces of shit! They can all go to fucking hell!!)
Adams looked at Shinji while she was yelling. "I guess I should be apologizing to you, too."
"Too late for apologies to help," said Shinji.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Asuka as she stared daggers at Shinji as well.
"N…nothing," said Shinji, worried that she'd attack him, too.
Suddenly, two hands grabbed Asuka by her shoulders. Asuka was about to turn around and deck whomever it was until she found out that it was Kaji.
"My goodness, Asuka. Are you okay? You seem pretty angry," said Kaji.
Asuka's anger quickly transformed into goody gumdrops to less than .2 seconds. "Mr. Kaji! I wasn't getting angry. Mr. Adams and Shinji were being mean to me."
"Is that so?" asked Ryoji.
"Yeah," said Asuka. "Adams made it so that I had to live with Misato instead of you. Now I'm all depressed."
Kaji gave her shoulders a good squeeze. "Don't worry about it Asuka. I'm sure you'll be just fine where you are."
Asuka gave a teary eyed frown. "But I really wanted to live with you."
"I know, I know," said Kaji. "Tell you what, if it'll make you feel better, I'll take you shopping tomorrow, okay?"
Asuka's eyes beamed when she heard this. "Really? You mean like a date?!!"
Kaji got a little nervous with that question. "Well…uh…um…if…you put it that way…uh…"
"I'd loved to!" shouted the second child excitedly. "I can't wait."
"Okay," Said Kaji. "Now you go to you new home and do your best to get along with everyone. I might even visit once in a while…if that's alright with Misato."
Asuka jumped for joy as she began to practically skip the rest of the way home, with Shinji in tow.
Adams was less than overjoyed with the site of Kaji. "I suppose now that I should be thanking you."
Kaji noticed the attitude and met it with confusion. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing," said Adams. "Just the fact that you ditched all of us in Hawaii during the angel attack. You're nothing but a coward!"
Ryoji waved his hands back and forth to try and explain himself. "Hold on. I had orders, man. It's not like I could have completed those orders 30 meters under water."
"I bet," said Adams. "Regardless, I still think it was cowardly."
"I'm sorry to hear that," said the special agent. "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"
Adams narrowed his eyes at the man. "If you thinking about buying me drinks, forget it. Booze is what got me in trouble today anyway."
"I know of this arcade place called Shi-to's," said Kaji. "There's this arcade game there that I played a lot called 'Men of War.' I played it in Germany and I'm pretty good."
Adams smiled at his statement. "Okay, you're on!"
Shinji and Asuka were at home now, and once again they were sharing a conflict of interest.
"Shinji, move your stuff out of my room!" yelled Asuka.
"Your room?" questioned Shinji. "Since when was it your room?"
"Look, Shinji," said Asuka in a demanding tone. "I have more stuff than you and I need the room."
"But there isn't another room for my stuff," said Shinji.
"Yes there is," said Asuka as she pointed to a storage closet. "You can use that room."
"But that's a storage closet," said Shinji.
Asuka looked inside of it, noting that it was fairly large. "Looks big enough to me."
"It's still not fair!" yelled Shinji.
"I don't give damn if you think it's fair or not!" countered Asuka. "I'm the top pilot, I get the room. Sounds fair to me!"
It was then that Misato returned home. She looked a little worn, and so the first thing she did was grab a beer from the fridge. "I'm home guys. Everything okay?"
"No," said Asuka as she turned to kiss ass mode once again. "Shinji won't let me have his room. I've got no place to put my stuff and the storage closets not big enough."
"She was going to make me sleep in the storage closet!" said Shinji.
Misato open the can and chugged the entire beer down. After taking a deep breath she went off to solve the conflict. She examined the boxes that had arrived and the sizes of the two rooms before coming to a decision. "I think Asuka had a good idea."
"What!" exclaimed Shinji. "You're going to make sleep in the closet?"
Misato patted him on the shoulder. "Relax, there's plenty of room in there for you and your stuff. It's no big deal."
Shinji hung his head in defeat. 'I can't believe this. Asuka just moved in and she already Misato's favorite.'
"I'm going to take a shower," announced Misato. "Shinji? Make sure you help Asuka get her stuff in her room."
"Yes ma'am…" said Shinji, who was becoming more depressed about the situation with every passing moment.
"Thank you, Misato," said Asuka in her sugar sweet voice. She then looked toward Shinji with a smug look. "See that? She likes me more than you. You piss me off, and I'll use that against you."
"Great…" said Shinji as in a sarcastic tone.
Two of them went about the task of moving Shinji's stuff out of the room and moving Asuka's stuff in. Shinji, of course was the one doing most of the actual work while Asuka just barked out orders. "Put it over there! Not there, you idiot! There! What are you, stupid? I said put it there!" This continued until Misato had finished her shower. She then went into the kitchen, making sure to call the two teens there as well.
Misato grabbed another beer and chugged it down. She then grabbed yet another and sat down at the table with Shinji and Asuka. "Asuka, since you've just moved in, I believe I need to establish some ground rules. First, feel to help yourself to anything but the me and Shinji."
Asuka's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"
Misato chuckled while sipping her beer. "I'm just kidding around."
Shinji had his hand in his face. "This is embarrassing."
"Second rule, which is an amendment to the first rule, is no beer for you…without my permission," said Misato.
Asuka was sweat-dropping by now. 'I can't believe I have to live with these weirdos.'
"Next," said Misato. "I don't want either of you in each others room after bed time. God know that last thing we need is an unwanted pregnancy."
"MISATO!!" screamed Shinji as his face turned beet red. "You have any idea as to how embarrassing this is?"
Asuka also joined in. "You think I would be so indecent that I would do something like that?"
"I'm just trying not to take any chances," said Misato as she got up to get another beer. "I'm not saying you two are indecent. I'm just trying to cover all bases."
"Well could you stop?" asked Shinji.
Misato sighed as she sat down. "Fine, Fine. Just one more thing to cover. Chores. We need to divide up the chores around the house."
It was then that the three of them played rocks paper scissors in order to determine who did what chores. Shinji was once again the unlucky one and was to one who got the majority of the chores.
"Too bad Shinji. You're really bad at this," said Misato. "I lucked out. I have less chores to do than before."
"It's not like you did your chores, anyway," said Shinji in a gloomy mood.
Asuka, who was weirded out by the whole system of chore responsibility, decided to get up from the table and go to her new room. (I still can't believe I have to live with these weirdos.)
Later that night, Both Shinji and Asuka were in the living room watching TV. Misato had passed out quite some time ago, and so the mood of the house hold had calmed down quite a bit. Asuka, however, was less than satisfied with what was on TV. "Japanese television sucks. You have the dumbest game shows ever."
"So change the channel," said Shinji. "It's not my fault you don't like it."
Asuka flipped through the channels, frowning over the lack of quality shows that were on at the time. "There's nothing on that I'd want to watch."
"Then find something else to do," said Shinji as he changed the channel back to the game shows.
"I'm bored," said Asuka. "There's nothing to do around here."
There was nothing but silence in the room for several minutes, with the exception of the TV. The silence was somewhat uncomfortable for Asuka, who wasn't used to staying quite in the presence of others.
Asuka decided to break the silence. "Stupid First child. She thinks she's better than me."
Shinji turned his head towards the German red-head. "What?"
"I was saying that the First Child is jealous of me," said Asuka. "I could see it in her actions."
Shinji shook his head. "Rei always acts like that to everybody. She's kinda weird that way."
Asuka sat up on the couch. "She didn't act like that to you. She seemed to get along with you just fine." Asuka then narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Is there something going on between the two of you?"
Shinji shook his head and blushed. "No. Actually, I'm surprised she's not pissed off at me."
Asuka raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"
Shinji stopped himself before saying another word. His eyes widen as he realizes his mistake in bringing the subject up. He tries to shrug it off. "Uh…oh nothing. Nothing at all."
Since Shinji was a terrible liar, Asuka was able to see right through him. He was hiding something and she wanted to find out what it was. "Come on. Tell me what happened."
"I can't," said Shinji. "It's really nothing."
Asuka moved off the couch and closer to Shinji. She narrowed her eyes and spoke in an innocent but demanding tone. "Shinji…Tell me."
"No," said Shinji, determine not the let the Second Child know about his exploits at Rei's house. "It's none of your business."
Asuka placed a hand on his shoulder and began to put pressure on a pressure point. She spoke again, her tone no longer innocent, just demanding. "Tell me now!"
"Ow…stop. That hurts," said Shinji as he struggled. "Fine fine, I'll tell you. Let go."
Asuka complied with Shinji's wish. "So what happened?"
Shinji cleared his throat, trying to buy some time so that he could think of something to say. "Um…well…first, I want to say that what happened was completely accidental and that I never wanted it to happen that way. Second, it wasn't my idea. It was Touji and Kensuke's idea."
"Great," said Asuka as she rolled her eyes. "Continue."
"Well," Shinji said trying to recollect on what happened. "We were walking back to my house I think when I noticed that we were walking past Rei house. Touji and Kensuke noticed that I was looking and asked me what was up. I told them the truth and they made me go through a hazing ritual."
"Okay, this is getting interesting." said Asuka. "Keep going."
"Well, they told me that they would give me money if I stole something that belonged to Rei," Continued Shinji. "At first I said no, but they insisted and threatened that they would stop being my friend if I didn't. So I agreed."
"So what did you steal?" asked Asuka, who was becoming increasingly anxious by Shinji's actions.
"They told me that they would pay me more if I stole some underwear," said Shinji. "So I entered the house and found that it was empty. I went in and took a pair of socks, thinking that they counted as underwear. I went outside and showed them that I had some underwear, but they said that socks didn't count."
"Socks count as underwear," said Asuka.
"That's what I said, but they didn't buy it. They then told me that if I didn't get both a bra and panties, I'd get no money at all. So I went back in and tried to get them both. I had them in my hands when, just my luck, Rei came home."
"So she caught you trying to steal her underwear and that's why she's supposed to be mad," concluded Asuka.
Shinji blinked for a moment and than nodded. "Yep, that's it. That's the story."
"Liar!" yelled Asuka. "There's more you're not telling me. You're a horrible liar."
Shinji sighed in exasperation. "Okay, okay, there's more. I panicked when I heard her come in, so I ran into the only place I thought I could hide. The bathroom."
"I see," said Asuka, becoming very suspicious.
Shinji swallowed hard before finishing. "Yeah, I hoped that maybe she would leave again so I could get out, but then she entered the bathroom. I was hiding in the shower. And she was getting undressed. I was scared. I was afraid she would kill me. Eventually, she caught me, but by then she was naked, and I was still holding on to her underwear. I gave it back to her and, strangely enough, she let me go. She didn't kick, punch, or even yell. She let me go, and I lived to tell the tale. So there you have it. That's what happened."
Asuka absorbed the information and processed it. She then stood up and took a small step back. "So you're telling me that you did that and that it was totally unplanned."
Shinji nodded. "Yes."
"Bullshit!" yelled Asuka as she pointed a finger at him. "You lying sack of horse shit. You probably planned the whole thing!"
Shinji's heart jumped into his throat. "No! You got it all wrong! I was telling the truth!"
"Enough of your lies, you pervert!" screamed Asuka as she circled around the boy to escape the living room. "Oh my god, I can't believe I have to live with you." Asuka's eyes widened even more with another realization. "Oh fuck. There's no lock on my door!" She then gave Shinji her meanest look yet. "Listen, puke face. You even think about doing something to me while I sleep, and I will torture you so painfully that it will be legendary!"
'I believe it,' thought Shinji.
With that, Asuka ran into her room, slamming the door behind her. Shinji began to hit his head against the wall in frustration. "Dammit you moron. I shouldn't have said anything at all. Now she'll hate me forever." Shinji decided to give up and go into his new room and go to bed, hoping tomorrow that she'll forgive him. "Like that's gonna happen…"
The next morning, Shinji's alarm went off, ripping the boy from his slumber. After giving a loud yawn, he frowns when he remembers the fact that he was in the storage closet. He slowly rose from his bed and exited his room. He heard the TV on in the living room, which surprised him. Figuring that it couldn't have been Misato, Shinji concluded that it was Asuka, and decided not to confront her. He went into the bathroom to take his shower. He was still worried that what he told Asuka last night had soured their relationship. He let out a big sigh. At least he wouldn't have to deal with her at school.
Both Misato and Asuka had already mentioned a dozen times that Asuka had already graduated from college. Seeing that is the case, it seemed unlikely that she would have to go to school here. After he got out of the shower, he got dressed and headed into the kitchen. He saw out of the corner of his eye that the person watching TV was indeed Asuka. She looked somewhat tired. It was obvious that she was suffering from jet lag, which contributed to her being up so early in the morning. Shinji decided not to say anything to her and to continue with his morning ritual. He knew he had a lot of work to get done in order to catch up in school.
Asuka, however, decided that her lack of restful sleep was reason enough to bother the Third Child. "Going to school, huh? I almost feel sorry…for the girls there."
Shinji decided to continue to ignore her. 'Don't listen to her, Shinji. She's just trying to build herself up."
Of course, there is little Asuka hates more than being ignored. "So that's how it's going to be, huh. Fine! Your still a pervert. I'm so glad I don't have to go to school with you." She then marched off into the living room and sat back on the couch.
Shinji let out a slight groan. 'Man, she's impossible. I don't know what I'm going to do to get along with her, but I certainly hope this won't be permanent.
Shinji went and fed PenPen, grabbed his lunch and decided to leave. He skipped breakfast since he wanted to get out of the house as soon as possible. Shinji's sulky mood soon disappeared when he ran into his friends along the way.
"You're here early," said Touji. "We were on you way to your place."
"Yeah," said Kensuke. "What's the big deal?"
Shinji walked up next to them and took a deep breath. "Boy do I have something to tell you."
Asuka was still sitting on the couch watching TV. She had a pleasant grin on her face, knowing that later today see was going to go shopping with Kaji. In between commercials, she would day dream about what she would buy, what her and Ryoji would do together, even going so far as wondering if today would be the day that they….kiss? Pretty much the usual stuff that cooks up in the mind of a 14 year old girl who has a crush on an older guy.
The door from Misato's room finally opened, revealing a very grouchy and hung-over female guardian. She stumbles her way towards the kitchen for her morning beer, as apparently her mind doesn't function until she does. She downed the whole can and awoke into her more pleasant divergent self. However, as soon as her brain was given that boost of alcoholic fuel, she came across a horrible realization when she noticed that Asuka was in the living room. "Oh shit! I forgot to tell Asuka that today was her first day of school!"
Misato ran into the living room to confirm her mistake. "God dammit! This is my fault!"
The older female's shriek of embarrassment knocked Asuka from her day dream. "What? What going on?"
Misato took a deep breath and sighed. "I forgot to tell you that you were supposed to go to school today."
Asuka's eyes widened in horror. "School? What the heck are you talking about? I've graduated from college. I don't need to go to school!"
"I know that," said Misato. "But the reason you're being put there has nothing to do with educational necessity. It's to make sure you're supervised and also within the same area as the other pilots, so that we always know where you are."
"But…but," started Asuka. "I have plans today."
"Well I'm sorry," said Misato in a stern voice. "Your plans are going to have to wait. Get ready for school. I'll go grab your school uniform."
"Man that totally sucks for you," said Touji. "I can't believe you have to live with that bitch."
"Why didn't you call and tell us?" asked Kensuke. "This is important information you know. Now I have another excuse to want to go to your house."
Shinji once again ignored Kensuke's remark and instead sat back in his desk in despair. "She's gonna totally make my life miserable. She's already kicked me out of my room, with Misato's permission. Thank god I don't have to deal with her here."
"Amen to that," said the dark-haired boy. "It's hard to imagine that Misato would choose favorites. That really sucks."
"Yeah," said Shinji as rested his hand on his cheek in preparation for another school day. Little did he realize that today and tomorrow were going to be one of his biggest trials yet.
End Chapter 11
Finally, I've completed a chapter. After months of dealing with a ton of college work, having to toss out an entire chapter, and suffering from severe writer's block, I've finally done it.
I hope people don't think I made Asuka too mean. Don't worry, things will improve. I just felt that the beginning needed to be rocky because, well, Asuka can be hard to get along with.
Things to expect for the next chapter: More Shinji torture, Asuka's quick rise to school stardom, the next angel battle, and a special surprise to be revealed in the end of it. Great chapter coming up, so stay tuned.
Chapter 12 "The Arrival II: Welcome Home Asuka"
NERV HQ
The room was bright. The fluorescent light hummed to their unending and melancholy tune. All seemed well except for one unusual thing. Someone was sleeping. Sure, the idea of someone sleeping on the job would certainly be cause for alarm. After all, no one is paid to sleep, especially at NERV. However, this was more than just a no good peon who thought they could slip in a quick nap. No, this was Ritsuko!
She laid on her desk, her glasses still mashed against her face. A light amount of drool flowed from her relaxed lips. From the position she was in, it was obvious that she didn't fall asleep on purpose. Sadly for her, her irregular and minute sleep pattern had conquered her. A slight snore echoed from her nose, the only other noise in the room.
This was ended however when the door to the office was opened, and in walked in, of all people, Commander Ikari. He slowly walked up to the woman in slumber, his face slowly changing into a scowl. Upon reaching her, gave a sharp, quick shout. "Dr. Akagi!!"
Ritsuko stirred from her sleep, unsure as to who just yelled at her. She turned her head towards the aggressive voice, and allowed her eyes to focus upon the individual. Upon receiving the visual, she quickly jumped up from her seat, her heart jumping into her throat. "Commander!"
"Why may I ask were you sleeping?" asked Gendo in a low growl.
Ritsuko nervously answered, trying to wipe the crust from her eyes. "I'm…I'm really sorry, Commander. It won't happen again."
Gendo began to encircle the somewhat distresses scientist. "We don't pay you to sleep, Doctor. Considering that you're one of the highest paid members of this organization, it's very costly for you to sleep on the job."
"You're absolutely right, sir. Please forgive me," pleaded Ritsuko.
The Commander turned away from her and gave a small but cool smile. Asserting his power was enjoyable to him, and he knew that everyone in this organization was under his finger tips. It was…rather arousing. He tried to push it to the back of his mind for now. "Are the repairs on Unit 00 complete?"
"Yes…," said Ritsuko.
"Good. We'll begin Rei's finalization training immediately," said Gendo as he turned back to stare at the blond haired woman.
"Yes, sir," said Ritsuko, her face still frowning in shame.
The older Ikari gave a quite sigh. He couldn't deny the sensuality of this moment. He decided to give in. After all, it wouldn't be the first time. He slowly walked behind Ritsuko and moved up close to her. He then quickly grabbed her shoulders, causing Ritsuko to become startled. "You're too much like your mother."
Ritsuko knew what was happening. Whenever he was like this, she knew exactly what was on his mind, and to her own shame, she often enjoyed it. She didn't want to give in, but in the times that they had been together, she knew that she was beginning to develop feelings for the cold, cruel man. She was…conflicted. "What makes you say that?"
Gendo moved his hands up and down her arms. "You're too tense. All the work you do for this organization, it's no wonder why you can't stay awake."
"It's no excuse," said Ritsuko, who was closing her eyes as she felt the hands work their way up and down her arms.
"For all you've done for us, it's highly unlikely that I'd fire you over a little sleep," said the Commander. "Perhaps there's something I could do to relax you."
Ritsuko tried to respond, but she was at a loss for words as she felt the heat his breath on her neck. She let herself get swept up in the moment.
Gendo removed his glasses and turned the woman around. He studied her features for a few moments before moving in to kiss her.
It was then that the door opened, surprising the would-be lovers. They quickly jumped away from each other, trying to mask what almost transpired. The person seen entering the room was Ryoji Kaji. He looked at the two of them, noticing a flustered look on both of them. "Did I miss something?"
"No," said Gendo. "Dr. Akagi and I were discussing what needed to be done with Unit 00. But that can be discussed later. Agent Kaji, I assume."
"Yes, I've come to deliver a certain package," said the special Agent. "I'm sure you're aware of its importance."
"Indeed," said Gendo.
Kaji then turned to Ritsuko. "Dear Ritsuko. It's been a while hasn't it?"
Ritsuko smiled to see her old college friend. "Yes it has. I almost didn't recognize you with you hair being longer and all the stubble."
Kaji chuckled as he rubbed his chin. "You haven't changed much, either. It's certainly nice to see you again. We'll have to catch up sometime."
Ritsuko nodded. "Sure."
Gendo spoke. "We have more important things to discuss. We should head to my office." He then turned back to Ritsuko. "Get back to work." He and Kaji then walked out the door.
"Yes sir," said Ritsuko in a sarcastic voice. Despite her relief that Kaji showed up when he did, she was also somewhat disappointed. She decided to put it in the back of her mind, however, as she went back to work without falling asleep.
Kaji and the Commander were both at Gendo's desk. Kaji placed a brief case on the desk. "This trip was far more exciting than I'd bargained for. I came within mere feet of accidentally being crushed under Unit 02's foot."
"I suppose I should apologize. Unit 02's purpose was to do quite the opposite," said Gendo.
"And it did indeed," said Kaji. "I heard that the 2nd and 3rd child worked together in order to defeat the angel. Quite impressive."
"That was how I planned it," said Gendo. "Anyway, shall I see what's in the brief case?"
"Certainly, it is yours after all," said the agent as he opened it up. Inside was an embryo in cryostasis. "Does it look well to you?"
Gendo nodded. "Yes, it does."
"Good, I'm glad that's over with. This is the key to instrumentality, isn't it?"
"Yes," said Gendo. "But don't worry yourself over it. You've done you job well."
"So what is my next assignment? I hope it's not as dangerous as my last one," said Kaji as he smirked almost jokingly.
"That's debatable," said the Commander as he closed the brief case. "You're going to stay here. I have uses for you and you've already proven yourself."
"Now I see why you said debatable," said Kaji. "Unit 02 should help with defending this place, and I heard that Unit 03 should be finished within two or three weeks. Do you have a pilot for it?"
"No," said Gendo. "The Marduk institute is still looking."
"What a waste it would be if we built an Eva with no pilot," said Ryoji.
"Indeed, but we'll worry about that when the time comes," said Gendo. "Now, here is your next assignment…"
One week later
The aircraft carrier had arrived on schedule. Misato and the gang were waiting impatiently to exit the ship and to get on dry land. The docking procedure took longer than expected, but the trip was finally over. Everyone walked off the ship and followed Misato to her car, since she offered to take everyone home before Asuka would be brought to NERV.
The three stooges walked a little further behind the two females and began complaining about the trip.
"I'm so glad that's over," said Touji. "I swear if I had to spend another day on the same boat as that bitch, I'd go nuts."
"Personally, I think Kensuke's has already gone nuts," said Shinji as he examined his four-eyed friend.
Kensuke had two black eyes and a somewhat puffy nose. "That was the greatest trip ever. All those war ships and planes and the angel battle and I've met the girl of my dreams."
"Yeah….right," said Touji. "Too bad the girl of your dreams has become my nightmare. I hope I never meet her again."
"You're just lucky you don't have to work with her from now on," said Shinji.
"I envy you," said Kensuke with tears in his eyes.
"Um….yeah," responded Shinji. "You do realize that Asuka was the one who…did that to you face right?"
"She was just playing around," said Kensuke. "I know for a fact that she wants me."
The subject was dropped when everyone reached the car. Asuka of course called the front seat so the boys had to crowd out the back. Misato turned to face the boys when they were seated. "So where to?"
Touji spoke up first. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to be dropped off at the hospital. I've haven't seen my sister in a week and I want to go check on her."
"Sounds good," said Misato as she started the car.
Asuka turned around to face Touji with some curiosity. "So what happened to your sister?"
"Nothing," said Touji with a small amount of venom.
"What the heck is your problem?" said Asuka in an offended tone. "I was just asking."
"She was hurt in the first angel attack," said Kensuke.
Touji gave his friend an evil eye. "Will you shut up? It's none of her business."
"Calm down!" yelled Misato. "I will not allow fighting in my car."
"Sorry, Misato," said Touji with shame.
Asuka turned her head back with a cocky smile. 'If I had been piloting, that would have never happened.'
Shortly afterwards, they arrived at the hospital and Touji left, waving good bye as the car sped off. The next stop was Kensuke's home. Once they arrived, Kensuke got at and waved goodbye. "Goodbye everyone. Goodbye, Asuka!"
"Yeah sure…bye," said Asuka in an almost disgusted tone.
"Bye, Kensuke," said Misato. "And try not to fall down anymore stairs, okay?"
'I can't believe Misato bought that story,' thought Shinji as the car sped away.
Misato turned to look at the remaining teenagers. "Well, I guess it's just the three of us. I just need to stop at my place real quick before we head to NERV. Okay, Asuka?"
"Okay," said Asuka.
A short while later, the car pulled into the parking lot of Misato and Shinji's home. "You can come in if you want, Asuka. You don't have to wait in the car," said Misato.
"Okay," said Asuka as she exited the car.
Shinji and Misato brought their stuff up with them and entered the apartment. The moment Misato stepped into the kitchen, she dropped her stuff and stared at her refrigerator. "Beer!!!" She then darted straight for it. PenPen ran up to her to greet her but was accidentally kicked aside as Misato bolted up to the fridge. She opened it up and took a can. In one swooping motion, she opened it and put it to her month…only to find that it was empty. Puzzled, she took another can, only to find it empty, too. She took another one and another one, all of them were empty. She began to panic. "What the fuck is going on? Where's all the beer?" She emptied the entire refrigerator, but to no avail. Every can of beer was empty. She examined the bottoms of the can only to find that each one had two holes drilled into them.
"NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!" screamed Misato in despair.
Asuka and Shinji entered the kitchen to find a huge pile of cans all over the floor. Shinji turned towards Asuka with a look of embarrassment on his face. "Um…Welcome to my humble abode."
"What the hell is her problem?" asked Asuka.
Shinji scratched his head. "Well, it's been a week since she's had a beer since they don't serve alcohol on the ship. She's a bit of an alcoholic."
"You don't say," said Asuka as she watched Misato burst into tears. "So what kind of lunatic breaks into somebody's house, empties all of their beer and puts the cans back into the refrigerator and takes nothing else?"
"Beats me," said Shinji.
It was then that Misato noticed a note at the bottom of the pile of cans. She picks it up and reads it.
You should cut down. Signed, a friend
Misato faced turned from sadness into coldness in less than half a second. She slowly stood and crumpled the piece of paper as tight as she could. She slowly and deliberately addressed the teens. "Guys, I want you to stay here. There's something I have to do before I take you to NERV." It was then that she began to march towards the door with fire in her eyes. Before she stepped out, however, the cell phone rang. She picked it up slowly, trying her best to contain her rage. "Hello?"
"Good afternoon, Misato," Said Ritsuko on the other line.
"What's so good about it?" said Misato. "Look, I'm sorry. I'll have Asuka at NERV in a bit. There's something I have to do first."
"That's ok," Said the blond scientist. "This is about Asuka anyway. It turns out that Adams gave the Commander a great recommendation about how well you've done on taking care of Shinji."
Misato raised an eyebrow when hearing this. "Yeah, so?"
"Well, it turns out that the Commander felt that it was best that you took care of Asuka," said Ritsuko.
"What!" screamed Misato. "He's doing this without even asking me? Or Asuka?"
"Afraid so," Said Akagi. "Hope it's not too much of a problem."
It was then that Misato hung up the phone. Her blood was boiling and if she was a little stronger, she'd crush the phone. She then bolted out with a vengeance and sped away in her car, leaving a huge burn out on the parking lot.
"What the hell was her problem?" asked Asuka.
"I think she knows who did this to the beer," answered Shinji.
"Who?" asked the red head.
"Probably Adams," said Shinji.
"Americans," groaned Asuka as she walked to the table to take a seat. She almost tripped over a can, which pisses her off. "Moron! You going to just stand there or are you going to pick up this mess?"
"Ok, ok," said Shinji. "You going to help me or not?"
"Idiot," said Asuka as she tossed a can at his head. "This is your home, not mine. Why should I help you?"
"Never mind," mumbled Shinji as he collect the cans. 'I can't wait until she's gone.'
Something stirred right next to Asuka. She caught it in the corner of her eye. She looked down upon it, noticing that it was a certain penguin.
"…..AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Asuka as she kicked it away.
Shinji stood up to see as to what was going on. He noticed that Asuka had picked up a chair and was about to smash it on top of PenPen.
"Who let this creature in here?" asked Asuka with eyes of menace.
"That's PenPen," said Shinji, who was sweat-dropping at the moment. "He's Misato's pet."
Asuka gave the boy a weird look. "Pet? Who keeps a penguin as a pet?"
"Don't ask," said Shinji as he returned to picking the cans.
PenPen had more than enough abuse for one day, and he quickly retreated back to his refrigerator in the hopes that he'd make it through the day alive.
Misato car came screeching into the driveway of a certain warehouse. Upon stopping, she jumped out of her car and came marching up to the front door. She then banged on the door with all her might and rage. "Hey asshole!!! Open this open this door!!! I know you're in there!!"
Inside, there was the sound of a forklift driving about. The sound came fairly close and then stopped. The door was then unlocked and the door opened slightly, revealing Steve with a psudo-innocent grin. "Yes, can I help you?"
Misato tried to push the door open, but was unable to as the appeared to be something in the way. "God dammit!! Open the door!!"
"I can't,' said Adams. "There's a big crate in the way."
"Then move it!" yelled Misato. "I know you have a forklift!"
"I can't," said Adams. "I'm out of gas."
"You fucking liar!" screamed Misato as she kicked the door. "I just want to say this. Congratulations, you are now one step closer to being my most hated enemy!"
"Only one step?" asked Adams in an almost disappointed tone.
"Give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't call the police?" asked Misato.
"I'll give you two," said Adams. "One, you can't prove that was me. Two, I only did it to help you. You drink way too much."
"Is that so?" asked Misato. "I suppose then that you were thinking of me when you saw to it that I took custody of Asuka, without my approval!"
"Yeah well," said the American as he back up a little. "I thought about how you biological clock was ticking and…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Misato had lunged forward and had reached her arm in to grab Steve. He had backed away just in time to avoid it however. "You fucking shithead! Come closer so I can rip your head off!!"
"Nah, I won't be doing that." said Adams. "What's wrong? Are you saying that you wouldn't take care of her if you had to?"
Misato stopped trying to grab him and turned away in anger. "It's not like I would have said no if I was given the choice. I but I wasn't. And for that matter, neither was Asuka."
"Well ain't life a bitch?" said Adams sarcastically.
Misato turned back to face him. "Listen here. From now on at work, don't talk to me. In fact, don't even look at me. If you do, I'll make your life a living hell. Got it!!"
"Can do." said Steve. "Bye now! Have a great day!"
"Fuck you!" yelled Misato as she began to walk away.
Before she left Adams said one last thing. "Oh yeah! I think it would be a good idea to lock your doors from now on, ok?"
Misato screamed in rage kicked his door one last time before she stormed off.
Back at the apartment, Asuka was rummaging through the cabinets, looking for something to eat. Frowning in frustration, she quickly let Shinji know her displeasure.
"Dammit!! There's nothing but snack foods and instant meals around here. Who the hell could live off of that?"
"Don't complain to me," said Shinji. "Misato's the one who does the shopping."
After sighing in annoyance, the German red-head gave-up her search for something to eat and instead marched herself to the living room to try and relax. "I'm so glad I don't live here."
"That makes two of us," mumbled Shinji as he finished cleaning up the mess in the kitchen.
"What was that?" screamed Asuka, who somehow managed to hear Shinji in the other room.
"Nothing," replied Shinji while making a mental note about her excellent hearing.
It was then that the front door was heard opening and Misato was seen entering the house with two cases of beer. "Shinji could you do me a favor? Can you grab the rest of the beer in the car?"
Shinji grunted in an annoyed fashion. "Yes, ma'am…"
After putting her beer down and grabbing one for herself, she called out to Asuka in order to explain as to what was going to happen. "Asuka!! Can you come here please?"
Asuka entered the kitchen, putting on her best bull-shit smile. "Yes Misato. Do you need me for something?"
Misato sat down at the table, feeling somewhat anxious. "Take a seat Asuka."
After bother were seated, Misato delivered the "Good" news. "Asuka…You're going to live with us."
Asuka's expression was frozen for a half second as she look tried to discern if the purple-haired woman was serious. Her eyes then widened, her heart jumped into her throat, and a load piercing sound came out from her mouth. "WHAT?!!!"
Misato began to explain. "Thanks to a certain somebody who shall remain nameless, the higher ups in NERV thought it might be best for you to live with me."
Asuka's voice sounded weak as if it was struggling to let out the words. "Y…you mean with you and…S…Shinji?"
Misato nodded. "Yep."
"But…,"said Asuka. "Shinji is a b…b…"
"A boy?" asked Misato. "Don't worry about him. For all intensive purposes, he practically asexual."
By now, Shinji had entered the room, holding four cases of beer…barely. "What?"
Misato turned to Shinji with a nervous smile. "Um…Shinji? Meet you're new roommate."
The revelation of think took Shinji by surprise, causing him to drop all of the beer. Misato screamed when she saw the beer hit the ground. She lunged forward and tried her best to examine the cases to see to it that they were all right. She was practically crying when she saw that several cans were dented. One was punctured, causing a lot of beer to fizz out.
Shinji was upset about something else. "Sh…She's living with us? But why?"
Misato was trying to suck the fizz that was coming out of the can. After she sucked out a good portion of it, she answered his question. "The higher ups at NERV thought it was a good idea. And I have a certain somebody to thank for influencing them."
Asuka, who was still trying to comprehend the situation, was staring at both Misato and Shinji. She then looked at PenPen, who was now staring at her. She gave him the evil eyes in response. "What are you looking at?"
Misato picked up the remaining cans of beer and put them in the fridge. "Don't be so upset, Asuka. I'll speak with the Commander tomorrow. I'm sure this will only be temporary."
Asuka sighed depressingly. "Okay…"
Misato closed the refrigerator and went to grab her things. "Let me take you to NERV so we can take care of procedures. Don't worry about a thing."
Asuka nodded and left with Misato to go to NERV. Shinji sat on the couch with a sulky mood. "This sucks. As if things around here weren't bad enough." His thoughts did wonder slightly, however, and she soon began to realize that there were other complications to deal with. "Um…Where is she going to sleep? This is only a two bed-room apartment."
The answer to his question would come later that evening.
"I'm not sleeping on the couch!" yelled Asuka.
"Why not?" asked Shinji.
"Because it's bad enough that I have to stay here at all," pouted Asuka. "It's not fair that I was forced to live here."
"That's not my problem," said Shinji as he began to head towards his room. "One night on the couch won't kill you."
Asuka grabbed the boy by the collar, spun him around and gave him her most menacing glare. "I said I'm not sleeping on the couch. GOT IT!!"
Shinji defiance quickly turned to cowardice. "But…but…where are you going to sleep then?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Asked Asuka in a sarcastic tone. "I'm sleeping on you bed."
Shinji's eyed widened. "But where am I going to sleep?"
Asuka slapped herself in the forehead. "Can you be any stupider? You're getting the couch!"
But that's not fair," said Shinji.
Suddenly, the door to Misato's room opened up, revealing Misato who was somewhat concerned. "What's going on? Are you two fighting?"
Asuka transformed into her bullshit good girl mode once again. "Shinji's being mean. He making me sleep on the couch."
Shinji tried to interrupt. "But…but…it's…"
Misato looked at the two of them and made a decision. "Shinji, let Asuka sleep in your room. It's not fair that she doesn't have a place to sleep."
"What?" yelled Shinji.
"Relax," said Misato. "One night on the couch won't kill you. We'll figure out some arrangements tomorrow, ok?"
Asuka smiled and nodded. "Thank you Misato." She then walked away, making sure to give Shinji a snooty look as she entered his room.
Shinji was forced to sleep on the couch, which wasn't half as comfortable as his bed. He continued to brood over the idea of leaving with the Red-head. 'This sucks. I can't believe I have to sleep on the couch. Misato keeps treating her better than me just because she heard a bunch of rumors about how she's so great. Well, I was in the Eva with her and I wasn't that impressed.' His thoughts soon ended though as he finally managed to fall asleep.
Misato was standing in front of both the Commander and Sub-commander the next morning. She looked slightly nervous, obviously not wanting to say of do anything to piss off the Commander, especially since she was requesting to have the Second Child out of her custody, which was the Commander's idea in the first place.
The Commander took in what was just said. "So what you're telling me, Miss Katsuragi, that the Second Child is not pleased with her current arrangements and that she wishes to move out immediately, correct?"
"Yes, sir," responded the Director of Operations.
"What are you feeling about this, captain?" asked Gendo.
Misato swallowed hard before continuing. "Well, I feel that since Shinji was given a choice in where he would stay that…"
"That you feel that the Second Child should be given the same courtesy, correct?" interrupted Gendo.
"Yes, sir," said Misato.
Gendo's eyes wandered towards his Sub-commander, who was looking sheepish. He then looked toward Misato again. "Let me remind you of two things. First, the whole incident involving the Third Child was not my idea but Fuyutsuki's. Second, it was both an unnecessary and costly procedure. If I had been here during that time period, I would have never approved of it. If the Second Child has a problem with her arrangements, that is her problem, not mine. Don't bother me on such trivial issues again! Understood?"
Misato flinched under the searing gaze of her superior. Knowing that the whole ordeal was not going well, she decided to back out while she still had a chance. "Yes, sir. I have nothing else to report."
"Good. You are excused," said Gendo.
Misato left the office, now more pissed off than ever. 'Damn that Adams and the Commander! God forbid that they think of anyone but themselves. Asuka won't be too happy about this.'
Elsewhere in NERV, Both Shinji and Asuka were standing in the command bay in their plug suits. They were with Ritsuko and the Bridge Bunnies watching over Rei final combat tests.
Shinji was the first to say something. "So, Ritsuko, how come you're conducting the weapons combat tests, today?"
Ritsuko turn towards Shinji with a look of annoyance. "Because Adams is late for work. I have other things I need to do besides conduct these tests."
"Oh," replied Shinji.
Rei was doing fairly well. He was nearing the end of the combat test, using the G2-EX to take out targets from afar. The test was finally completed, with the computer displaying the final scores.
"Rei," said Ritsuko. "You final scares are as follows. You're accuracy with the computer was 91 percent, 61 percent without the computer, and the knife test came out with an 80 percent. All scores are passing. Good job Rei."
"Yes, ma'am," said Rei.
"Wow," said Shinji. "She did better than me on aiming without the computer."
'I'm not so impressed,' thought Asuka. 'Wait till they see my test scores.'
Adams was running as fast as he could to reach the command bay since, as mentioned earlier, he was late.
Son of a bitch! yelled Adams. I picked the worst evening to go out drinking! And then I got pulled over on my way here! Damn officer wouldn't believe that I worked for NERV!
Just as he was about to reach the next bend, a purple haired woman walked out of no where, obviously in a bad mood. The American saw her coming and stopped in time. "Uh…hi…"
Misato took a good look at the Weapons Developer and her mood became fouler. "I see that your late."
Steve tried his best to be as friendly as can be. "Yeah…heh…It's a long story. I wouldn't want to keep you. You're really busy and all."
The Director of Operations narrowed her eyes. "Listen you little shit face. If it weren't for the fact that security keeps tight tabs on this place, I'd rip your sorry head off."
"So what you telling me is…," said Adams. "…that you're in a slightly better mood today then yesterday."
"Don't you fucking mock me!" yelled Misato. "You're lucky I don't write you up! Whatever you do, don't piss me off any more than you have, or you'll have hell to pay!"
With that, she stormed off to god know where. Adams gave a sigh of relief. 'Whew. For a moment, I thought she was going to have my ass. I better get going before things get worse.'
Shortly afterwards, Adams reached the command bay. By now, Asuka was already inside Unit 02 and the combat test was about to start. Ritsuko turned to Steve with a scowl. "Why are you late, Captain?"
Adams hung his head in embarrassment. "Sorry, no excuse."
Ritsuko decided to march off to do other things. "I'm leaving this in your hands. Asuka still needs to take her final combat test. Don't do anything else to piss me off."
"Yes, ma'am," said Adams. 'Man, I've gotten my ear chewed twice in one day. It's just not my day.'
Adams then looked over the test score for Rei just to get in on the up and up. He then began to talk to Asuka. "Good morning. As you obviously know, you'll be taking you combat test today. Are you already familiar with the G2-EX and the Prog. Knife?"
'Idiot! Of course I am,' thought Asuka as she hid her annoyance and displayed her goody-goody mood as not to let the Bridge-bunnies know about her real nature. "Yes, sir!"
"Okay. Let's begin," said Steven as he started the test.
The test was exactly the same as the previous test given to Shinji and Rei. It involved targeting with and without the computer and techniques involving the Prog. Knife. Asuka performed these test superbly, moving around in the Eva as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She even experience some periods of complacency as the test was hardly a test of her skills. Soon afterwards, she was done and the score was tabulated.
"Um…uh…," said Adams, who was obviously speechless.
"So, how'd I do?" asked the red-head.
"Great…," said Adams. "Your scores are as follows. You scored 100 on accuracy with the computer and 94 without. You knife test came out with a 96."
"WHAT!" yelled Shinji.
Asuka tried her best to be modest. "Oh it must have been a fluke. I mean, can anyone be that good?"
'Oh please,' thought Shinji. 'Not with that bull-shit mode again. I just know that she gonna rub this in my face later.'
"Well…," said Adams as he was still trying to comprehend the scores. "You're free to go, I guess. Um…good job."
"So what'd you think of my scores, huh?"
Shinji and Asuka were walking down the hall. They were no longer in their plug suits and they were heading out the door.
"Yeah, yeah they were great,' said Shinji half-heartedly.
Asuka didn't like his tone. "You're just jealous that you can't do as well as me."
"Maybe I am jealous," said Shinji. "Of course if I had years of practice, I'd be that good, too."
"Ha, you could have decades of practice and never be as good as me," retorted Asuka.
"Whatever," said Shinji not wanting to start an argument with her.
Soon afterwards, Rei was seen walking around the corner, heading towards them. Asuka took this opportunity to introduce herself to her. "Hi, I'm Asuka Langley Sohryu. You Rei Ayanami, right? Nice to meet you."
"Yes, nice to meet you," responded Rei. She then looked at Shinji. "Hello Shinji. How are you? Was your trip in Hawaii pleasant?"
Shinji seemed slightly surprised by the fact that Rei spoke to him. "Uh…good I guess. I had fun."
"Good," said Rei as she then continued on her way. "See you later."
Asuka spoke to Rei again. "Did you hear about my test score?"
Rei only nodded in reply before she began to walk off.
Asuka was offended by her behavior. "Hey, what's with you just walking away? Do you think it's rude to give people the cold shoulder?"
Rei turned her head back to look at the German Red-head. "What else was there to say? We have been introduced, and I confirmed that I know off your test scores."
Asuka didn't care for the blue haired girl's frankness. "I get it. You're jealous of me, too. Well, fine. Be that way. You can go fuck yourself!"
Rei did not respond as she walked off, leaving Asuka in a huff. "Grrrr! I think I'm starting to hate everyone around here!"
"I suppose that should include me, huh?"
Asuka and Shinji turned to see Adams with an apologetic look on his face. "Yeah, I sorta am the one responsible for your new living arrangements. I'm sorry. It was just an attempt to get back at Misato."
Asuka's face was blank, as if she was holding back her emotions. "Is that so?" She then slowly and deliberately walked up to the American. Then, like lightening, she gave a swift kick into the man's shin."
"AAAHHH!" screamed Adams afterwards. He grabbed his leg in pain.
"ASSHOLE!" yelled Asuka. "You ruined everything. If it weren't for you, I could have lived with Kaji!"
'Yeah right,' thought the Weapons Developer.
Asuka continues with her tantrum, spitting out curses in German. (God I hate Americans!! Stupid pieces of shit! They can all go to fucking hell!!)
Adams looked at Shinji while she was yelling. "I guess I should be apologizing to you, too."
"Too late for apologies to help," said Shinji.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Asuka as she stared daggers at Shinji as well.
"N…nothing," said Shinji, worried that she'd attack him, too.
Suddenly, two hands grabbed Asuka by her shoulders. Asuka was about to turn around and deck whomever it was until she found out that it was Kaji.
"My goodness, Asuka. Are you okay? You seem pretty angry," said Kaji.
Asuka's anger quickly transformed into goody gumdrops to less than .2 seconds. "Mr. Kaji! I wasn't getting angry. Mr. Adams and Shinji were being mean to me."
"Is that so?" asked Ryoji.
"Yeah," said Asuka. "Adams made it so that I had to live with Misato instead of you. Now I'm all depressed."
Kaji gave her shoulders a good squeeze. "Don't worry about it Asuka. I'm sure you'll be just fine where you are."
Asuka gave a teary eyed frown. "But I really wanted to live with you."
"I know, I know," said Kaji. "Tell you what, if it'll make you feel better, I'll take you shopping tomorrow, okay?"
Asuka's eyes beamed when she heard this. "Really? You mean like a date?!!"
Kaji got a little nervous with that question. "Well…uh…um…if…you put it that way…uh…"
"I'd loved to!" shouted the second child excitedly. "I can't wait."
"Okay," Said Kaji. "Now you go to you new home and do your best to get along with everyone. I might even visit once in a while…if that's alright with Misato."
Asuka jumped for joy as she began to practically skip the rest of the way home, with Shinji in tow.
Adams was less than overjoyed with the site of Kaji. "I suppose now that I should be thanking you."
Kaji noticed the attitude and met it with confusion. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing," said Adams. "Just the fact that you ditched all of us in Hawaii during the angel attack. You're nothing but a coward!"
Ryoji waved his hands back and forth to try and explain himself. "Hold on. I had orders, man. It's not like I could have completed those orders 30 meters under water."
"I bet," said Adams. "Regardless, I still think it was cowardly."
"I'm sorry to hear that," said the special agent. "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"
Adams narrowed his eyes at the man. "If you thinking about buying me drinks, forget it. Booze is what got me in trouble today anyway."
"I know of this arcade place called Shi-to's," said Kaji. "There's this arcade game there that I played a lot called 'Men of War.' I played it in Germany and I'm pretty good."
Adams smiled at his statement. "Okay, you're on!"
Shinji and Asuka were at home now, and once again they were sharing a conflict of interest.
"Shinji, move your stuff out of my room!" yelled Asuka.
"Your room?" questioned Shinji. "Since when was it your room?"
"Look, Shinji," said Asuka in a demanding tone. "I have more stuff than you and I need the room."
"But there isn't another room for my stuff," said Shinji.
"Yes there is," said Asuka as she pointed to a storage closet. "You can use that room."
"But that's a storage closet," said Shinji.
Asuka looked inside of it, noting that it was fairly large. "Looks big enough to me."
"It's still not fair!" yelled Shinji.
"I don't give damn if you think it's fair or not!" countered Asuka. "I'm the top pilot, I get the room. Sounds fair to me!"
It was then that Misato returned home. She looked a little worn, and so the first thing she did was grab a beer from the fridge. "I'm home guys. Everything okay?"
"No," said Asuka as she turned to kiss ass mode once again. "Shinji won't let me have his room. I've got no place to put my stuff and the storage closets not big enough."
"She was going to make me sleep in the storage closet!" said Shinji.
Misato open the can and chugged the entire beer down. After taking a deep breath she went off to solve the conflict. She examined the boxes that had arrived and the sizes of the two rooms before coming to a decision. "I think Asuka had a good idea."
"What!" exclaimed Shinji. "You're going to make sleep in the closet?"
Misato patted him on the shoulder. "Relax, there's plenty of room in there for you and your stuff. It's no big deal."
Shinji hung his head in defeat. 'I can't believe this. Asuka just moved in and she already Misato's favorite.'
"I'm going to take a shower," announced Misato. "Shinji? Make sure you help Asuka get her stuff in her room."
"Yes ma'am…" said Shinji, who was becoming more depressed about the situation with every passing moment.
"Thank you, Misato," said Asuka in her sugar sweet voice. She then looked toward Shinji with a smug look. "See that? She likes me more than you. You piss me off, and I'll use that against you."
"Great…" said Shinji as in a sarcastic tone.
Two of them went about the task of moving Shinji's stuff out of the room and moving Asuka's stuff in. Shinji, of course was the one doing most of the actual work while Asuka just barked out orders. "Put it over there! Not there, you idiot! There! What are you, stupid? I said put it there!" This continued until Misato had finished her shower. She then went into the kitchen, making sure to call the two teens there as well.
Misato grabbed another beer and chugged it down. She then grabbed yet another and sat down at the table with Shinji and Asuka. "Asuka, since you've just moved in, I believe I need to establish some ground rules. First, feel to help yourself to anything but the me and Shinji."
Asuka's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"
Misato chuckled while sipping her beer. "I'm just kidding around."
Shinji had his hand in his face. "This is embarrassing."
"Second rule, which is an amendment to the first rule, is no beer for you…without my permission," said Misato.
Asuka was sweat-dropping by now. 'I can't believe I have to live with these weirdos.'
"Next," said Misato. "I don't want either of you in each others room after bed time. God know that last thing we need is an unwanted pregnancy."
"MISATO!!" screamed Shinji as his face turned beet red. "You have any idea as to how embarrassing this is?"
Asuka also joined in. "You think I would be so indecent that I would do something like that?"
"I'm just trying not to take any chances," said Misato as she got up to get another beer. "I'm not saying you two are indecent. I'm just trying to cover all bases."
"Well could you stop?" asked Shinji.
Misato sighed as she sat down. "Fine, Fine. Just one more thing to cover. Chores. We need to divide up the chores around the house."
It was then that the three of them played rocks paper scissors in order to determine who did what chores. Shinji was once again the unlucky one and was to one who got the majority of the chores.
"Too bad Shinji. You're really bad at this," said Misato. "I lucked out. I have less chores to do than before."
"It's not like you did your chores, anyway," said Shinji in a gloomy mood.
Asuka, who was weirded out by the whole system of chore responsibility, decided to get up from the table and go to her new room. (I still can't believe I have to live with these weirdos.)
Later that night, Both Shinji and Asuka were in the living room watching TV. Misato had passed out quite some time ago, and so the mood of the house hold had calmed down quite a bit. Asuka, however, was less than satisfied with what was on TV. "Japanese television sucks. You have the dumbest game shows ever."
"So change the channel," said Shinji. "It's not my fault you don't like it."
Asuka flipped through the channels, frowning over the lack of quality shows that were on at the time. "There's nothing on that I'd want to watch."
"Then find something else to do," said Shinji as he changed the channel back to the game shows.
"I'm bored," said Asuka. "There's nothing to do around here."
There was nothing but silence in the room for several minutes, with the exception of the TV. The silence was somewhat uncomfortable for Asuka, who wasn't used to staying quite in the presence of others.
Asuka decided to break the silence. "Stupid First child. She thinks she's better than me."
Shinji turned his head towards the German red-head. "What?"
"I was saying that the First Child is jealous of me," said Asuka. "I could see it in her actions."
Shinji shook his head. "Rei always acts like that to everybody. She's kinda weird that way."
Asuka sat up on the couch. "She didn't act like that to you. She seemed to get along with you just fine." Asuka then narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Is there something going on between the two of you?"
Shinji shook his head and blushed. "No. Actually, I'm surprised she's not pissed off at me."
Asuka raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"
Shinji stopped himself before saying another word. His eyes widen as he realizes his mistake in bringing the subject up. He tries to shrug it off. "Uh…oh nothing. Nothing at all."
Since Shinji was a terrible liar, Asuka was able to see right through him. He was hiding something and she wanted to find out what it was. "Come on. Tell me what happened."
"I can't," said Shinji. "It's really nothing."
Asuka moved off the couch and closer to Shinji. She narrowed her eyes and spoke in an innocent but demanding tone. "Shinji…Tell me."
"No," said Shinji, determine not the let the Second Child know about his exploits at Rei's house. "It's none of your business."
Asuka placed a hand on his shoulder and began to put pressure on a pressure point. She spoke again, her tone no longer innocent, just demanding. "Tell me now!"
"Ow…stop. That hurts," said Shinji as he struggled. "Fine fine, I'll tell you. Let go."
Asuka complied with Shinji's wish. "So what happened?"
Shinji cleared his throat, trying to buy some time so that he could think of something to say. "Um…well…first, I want to say that what happened was completely accidental and that I never wanted it to happen that way. Second, it wasn't my idea. It was Touji and Kensuke's idea."
"Great," said Asuka as she rolled her eyes. "Continue."
"Well," Shinji said trying to recollect on what happened. "We were walking back to my house I think when I noticed that we were walking past Rei house. Touji and Kensuke noticed that I was looking and asked me what was up. I told them the truth and they made me go through a hazing ritual."
"Okay, this is getting interesting." said Asuka. "Keep going."
"Well, they told me that they would give me money if I stole something that belonged to Rei," Continued Shinji. "At first I said no, but they insisted and threatened that they would stop being my friend if I didn't. So I agreed."
"So what did you steal?" asked Asuka, who was becoming increasingly anxious by Shinji's actions.
"They told me that they would pay me more if I stole some underwear," said Shinji. "So I entered the house and found that it was empty. I went in and took a pair of socks, thinking that they counted as underwear. I went outside and showed them that I had some underwear, but they said that socks didn't count."
"Socks count as underwear," said Asuka.
"That's what I said, but they didn't buy it. They then told me that if I didn't get both a bra and panties, I'd get no money at all. So I went back in and tried to get them both. I had them in my hands when, just my luck, Rei came home."
"So she caught you trying to steal her underwear and that's why she's supposed to be mad," concluded Asuka.
Shinji blinked for a moment and than nodded. "Yep, that's it. That's the story."
"Liar!" yelled Asuka. "There's more you're not telling me. You're a horrible liar."
Shinji sighed in exasperation. "Okay, okay, there's more. I panicked when I heard her come in, so I ran into the only place I thought I could hide. The bathroom."
"I see," said Asuka, becoming very suspicious.
Shinji swallowed hard before finishing. "Yeah, I hoped that maybe she would leave again so I could get out, but then she entered the bathroom. I was hiding in the shower. And she was getting undressed. I was scared. I was afraid she would kill me. Eventually, she caught me, but by then she was naked, and I was still holding on to her underwear. I gave it back to her and, strangely enough, she let me go. She didn't kick, punch, or even yell. She let me go, and I lived to tell the tale. So there you have it. That's what happened."
Asuka absorbed the information and processed it. She then stood up and took a small step back. "So you're telling me that you did that and that it was totally unplanned."
Shinji nodded. "Yes."
"Bullshit!" yelled Asuka as she pointed a finger at him. "You lying sack of horse shit. You probably planned the whole thing!"
Shinji's heart jumped into his throat. "No! You got it all wrong! I was telling the truth!"
"Enough of your lies, you pervert!" screamed Asuka as she circled around the boy to escape the living room. "Oh my god, I can't believe I have to live with you." Asuka's eyes widened even more with another realization. "Oh fuck. There's no lock on my door!" She then gave Shinji her meanest look yet. "Listen, puke face. You even think about doing something to me while I sleep, and I will torture you so painfully that it will be legendary!"
'I believe it,' thought Shinji.
With that, Asuka ran into her room, slamming the door behind her. Shinji began to hit his head against the wall in frustration. "Dammit you moron. I shouldn't have said anything at all. Now she'll hate me forever." Shinji decided to give up and go into his new room and go to bed, hoping tomorrow that she'll forgive him. "Like that's gonna happen…"
The next morning, Shinji's alarm went off, ripping the boy from his slumber. After giving a loud yawn, he frowns when he remembers the fact that he was in the storage closet. He slowly rose from his bed and exited his room. He heard the TV on in the living room, which surprised him. Figuring that it couldn't have been Misato, Shinji concluded that it was Asuka, and decided not to confront her. He went into the bathroom to take his shower. He was still worried that what he told Asuka last night had soured their relationship. He let out a big sigh. At least he wouldn't have to deal with her at school.
Both Misato and Asuka had already mentioned a dozen times that Asuka had already graduated from college. Seeing that is the case, it seemed unlikely that she would have to go to school here. After he got out of the shower, he got dressed and headed into the kitchen. He saw out of the corner of his eye that the person watching TV was indeed Asuka. She looked somewhat tired. It was obvious that she was suffering from jet lag, which contributed to her being up so early in the morning. Shinji decided not to say anything to her and to continue with his morning ritual. He knew he had a lot of work to get done in order to catch up in school.
Asuka, however, decided that her lack of restful sleep was reason enough to bother the Third Child. "Going to school, huh? I almost feel sorry…for the girls there."
Shinji decided to continue to ignore her. 'Don't listen to her, Shinji. She's just trying to build herself up."
Of course, there is little Asuka hates more than being ignored. "So that's how it's going to be, huh. Fine! Your still a pervert. I'm so glad I don't have to go to school with you." She then marched off into the living room and sat back on the couch.
Shinji let out a slight groan. 'Man, she's impossible. I don't know what I'm going to do to get along with her, but I certainly hope this won't be permanent.
Shinji went and fed PenPen, grabbed his lunch and decided to leave. He skipped breakfast since he wanted to get out of the house as soon as possible. Shinji's sulky mood soon disappeared when he ran into his friends along the way.
"You're here early," said Touji. "We were on you way to your place."
"Yeah," said Kensuke. "What's the big deal?"
Shinji walked up next to them and took a deep breath. "Boy do I have something to tell you."
Asuka was still sitting on the couch watching TV. She had a pleasant grin on her face, knowing that later today see was going to go shopping with Kaji. In between commercials, she would day dream about what she would buy, what her and Ryoji would do together, even going so far as wondering if today would be the day that they….kiss? Pretty much the usual stuff that cooks up in the mind of a 14 year old girl who has a crush on an older guy.
The door from Misato's room finally opened, revealing a very grouchy and hung-over female guardian. She stumbles her way towards the kitchen for her morning beer, as apparently her mind doesn't function until she does. She downed the whole can and awoke into her more pleasant divergent self. However, as soon as her brain was given that boost of alcoholic fuel, she came across a horrible realization when she noticed that Asuka was in the living room. "Oh shit! I forgot to tell Asuka that today was her first day of school!"
Misato ran into the living room to confirm her mistake. "God dammit! This is my fault!"
The older female's shriek of embarrassment knocked Asuka from her day dream. "What? What going on?"
Misato took a deep breath and sighed. "I forgot to tell you that you were supposed to go to school today."
Asuka's eyes widened in horror. "School? What the heck are you talking about? I've graduated from college. I don't need to go to school!"
"I know that," said Misato. "But the reason you're being put there has nothing to do with educational necessity. It's to make sure you're supervised and also within the same area as the other pilots, so that we always know where you are."
"But…but," started Asuka. "I have plans today."
"Well I'm sorry," said Misato in a stern voice. "Your plans are going to have to wait. Get ready for school. I'll go grab your school uniform."
"Man that totally sucks for you," said Touji. "I can't believe you have to live with that bitch."
"Why didn't you call and tell us?" asked Kensuke. "This is important information you know. Now I have another excuse to want to go to your house."
Shinji once again ignored Kensuke's remark and instead sat back in his desk in despair. "She's gonna totally make my life miserable. She's already kicked me out of my room, with Misato's permission. Thank god I don't have to deal with her here."
"Amen to that," said the dark-haired boy. "It's hard to imagine that Misato would choose favorites. That really sucks."
"Yeah," said Shinji as rested his hand on his cheek in preparation for another school day. Little did he realize that today and tomorrow were going to be one of his biggest trials yet.
End Chapter 11
Finally, I've completed a chapter. After months of dealing with a ton of college work, having to toss out an entire chapter, and suffering from severe writer's block, I've finally done it.
I hope people don't think I made Asuka too mean. Don't worry, things will improve. I just felt that the beginning needed to be rocky because, well, Asuka can be hard to get along with.
Things to expect for the next chapter: More Shinji torture, Asuka's quick rise to school stardom, the next angel battle, and a special surprise to be revealed in the end of it. Great chapter coming up, so stay tuned.